Timbers acquire forward Samuel Armenteros

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers announced today that the club has acquired forward Samuel Armenteros from Serie A side Benevento Calcio on loan for the 2018 MLS campaign, utilizing Targeted Allocation Money, with a purchase option. Armenteros will be added to the Timbers’ roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 visa.

Armenteros, 27, joins Portland with over 200 professional appearances in Europe since making his debut as a 19-year-old with Dutch side Heracles Almelo, appearing in a 3-2 win over Roda JC on Nov. 28, 2009. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Armenteros played five seasons for Heracles (2009-13, 2016-17). During the 2016-17 campaign for Heracles, Armenteros tallied 22 goals in 32 appearances across all competitions. Armenteros joined newly promoted Serie A side Benevento Calcio for the 2017-18 season, recording one goal in nine appearances.

“Samuel Armenteros has a proven track record of scoring goals, and we will look for him to help bolster our attacking corps for the 2018 MLS season,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager and president of soccer for the Timbers. “It was a priority of ours to bring in another attacker who can help influence games for us. As we looked to strengthen our group this season, we believe that Samuel has the proper mindset and characteristics to have a positive impact with this club.”

After his first stint with Heracles (2009-13), where he made 109 appearances (86 starts) and registered 32 goals, Armenteros joined Belgian club Anderlecht (2013-15), where he made seven appearances, tallying a goal and an assist and helping his side to back-to-back Belgian First Division championships (2012-13, 2013-14). While with Anderlecht, Armenteros went on loan with Dutch club Feyenoord for the 2013-14 Eredivisie campaign, where he made 19 appearances and tallied one goal, while also appearing in two Europa League matches. A subsequent loan spell at Dutch side Willem II for the 2014-15 Eredivisie season saw Armenteros make 29 appearances (29 starts), registering 11 goals.

“We are pleased to add another quality attacker to our team. Samuel is a player with good technical ability that can bring others into the game and has proven to be a prolific goal-scorer,” said Giovanni Savarese, head coach of the Timbers. “We look forward to building Samuel into the squad during the remainder of preseason, and having yet another solid attacking option to rely on for the upcoming season.”

In September 2015, Armenteros signed with Qarabağ FK of the Azerbaijan Premier League, making 32 appearances (21 starts) across all competitions, recording 11 goals and helping his side claim the Azerbaijan Premier League title and the Azerbaijan Cup. Armenteros made six starts for Qarabağ in the 2015-16 Europa League, scoring against Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in a 1-1 draw on Nov. 5, 2015.

At the international level, Armenteros has earned two caps for the Sweden Men’s National Team, scoring the game-tying goal in the 81st minute on his debut in a 1-1 draw against Norway on June 13, 2017. In his most recent appearance for Sweden, Armenteros came on as a second-half substitute in a 2018 World Cup Qualifying match against Bulgaria on Aug. 31, 2017. Additionally, Armenteros has featured for Sweden at the U-17, U-19 and U-21 levels.